MSI P55-GD65 Review

Introduction:

With the recent launch of Intel's Core i5 and 8 series Core i7 socket 1156 processors there is a need for motherboards to match up with these new processors. You have the boards that are meant for the system builders and OEMs, but what we are interested in are the enthusiast class boards. Those with the features and build quality we demand as overclockers. Things such as better components more for more durable construction, a good BIOS so we can maximize the performance of our hardware, cooling solutions that work, not to mention a board that looks good, while having all of the right attributes. And, it must work no matter what we throw at it. A pretty big bunch of requirements. The MSI P55-GD65 is one of a series of four P55 Express chipset based motherboards for use with Intel's newest processors and is part of MSI's Gaming series motherboards. The P55-GD65 uses MSI's Extreme Speed design philosophy that includes the "OC Genie" for 1 second overclocking, Super Pipe technology that makes use of a heatpipe that is 60% larger than that used by its competitors at 8mm, and DrMos - a mosfet design that has been used since MSI's P45 chipset motherboards that take the place of four separate components with only one! Having had the opportunity to test a few P55 based motherboards, I wonder how these features will contribute to the performance of the P55-GD65 from MSI.

Closer Look:

The outer package of the MSi P55-GD65 is white with orange and yellow flames as the accent. The front panel lists the model number as well as the hardware it supports. This board offers support for Intel socket 1156 Corei5 and 8 series Core i7 processors is capable of running both ATI and Nvidia dual GPU configurations and is Windows 7 ready. On the bottom right is the Extreme Speed logo that highlights some of the design freatures including DrMos, SuperPipe, OC Genie and the use of Solid Capacitors. The rear panel goes into detail on the attributes of these features in greater detail as well as showing the I/O panel and listing the specifications.

Opening up the packaging reveals a pretty large bundle of accessories with manuals for just about anything you could imagine. There are more than enough cables and connectivity options to get the P55-GD65 installed.

Let's take a look at the bundle a bit closer before looking at the motherboard and its features.